India-Made Nasal Spray Reduces COVID Viral Load by 99%: Lancet Study

Glenmark's antiviral Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray (NONS) was found to completely remove nasal viral load in about 4 days

Glenmark's antiviral nasal spray is a Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray (NONS) for high risk COVID-19 patients.

(Photo:iStock)

Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray (NONS), an antiviral treatment for COVID-19, reduced viral load in high-risk adult patients by 94 per cent in 24 hours, and by 99 per cent in 48 hours, according to a new study published in the journal, The Lancet.

Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray (NONS) is an antiviral nasal spray developed by Indian pharmaceutical company, Glenmark.

The nasal treatment was first announced in February, when the company also said that the nitric oxide nasal spray (NONS) will be sold under the brand FabiSpray in India for the treatment of adult patients with COVID-19 who have high risk of progression of the disease.

How much do we know about NONS? How promising is the study result? FIT breaks it down.

What is NONS?

To bring you up to speed, NONS is a nasal is a nasal “disinfectant” spray, and the only COVID treatment so far that is not a monoclonal antibody treatment.

The spray is designed to kill the coronavirus in the upper airways and acts as a physical and chemical barrier against the virus, preventing it (virus) from incubating and spreading to the lungs.

The same technology has previously been used to create nasal sprays targetting H1N1 and influenza viruses.

It is a non-invasive, self administrable, and portable spray which makes it especially appealing to people who have trouble with needles, as well as those who couldn't take the injectable COVID vaccines.

More About the Study

First, let's look at some fast facts about the study.

The phase III clinical trial conducted in Mumbai sought to test how well nitric oxide (NO) eradicates nasal SARS-CoV-2 RNA, but mainly in unvaccinated high-risk patients over the age of 45 years – this group being the primary target of the treatment.

• The study involved 306 adults between the ages of 18 and 70.

• These were a very specific subset of patients who had mild symptoms but were at high risk of developing severe illness.

• They also had to have developed symptoms within 72 hours of being infected.

• The participants included a mix of both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

• 153 participants were given NONS and the rest were given placebo.

• Two sprays per nostril were self administered by the participants six times daily for seven days.

• Premenopausal or postmenopausal women were preferred, and those in the childbearing age took contraceptive measures with consent.

What the study found:

According to the study authors, NONS helped speed up the recovery process by clearing up the nasal viral load when administered soon after infection.

The study also found that patients who were given NONS were completely rid of virus RNA roughly four days earlier compared to placebo.

None of the participants in the study required hospitalisation or oxygen support by the end of the study.

Moreover, no serious adverse effects were reported.

Does it Protect Against Omicron?

The study authors didn't make a record of which patients were infected with which strain, and the spray was not tested on Omicron specifically.

However, 58 percent of the participants were enrolled during the second wave when Delta was dominant and 42 percent were enrolled during the third wave when Omicron was dominant.

"Laboratory investigations have demonstrated an immediate virucidal action of NO against all VOCs of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens (unrelated to the other ingredients in the product)."

Study Authors